His Majesty, The Most Christian King, and the Thirteen United States of North America, having, by the 29th article of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce concluded between them, mutually granted the liberty of having in their respective States and ports, consuls, vice consuls, agents, and commissaries, and being willing in consequence thereof, to determine and fix in a reciprocal and permanent manner the functions and prerogatives of the said consuls, vice consuls, agents, and commissaries, His Most Christian Majesty has nominated the Sieur Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes, Baron of Welfording, &c. Counsellor of the King in all his Councils, Commander of his Orders, Head of the Royal Council of Finances, Counsellor of the State of the Sword, Minister and Secretary of State, and of his Commands and Finances; and the United States, Mr Benjamin Franklin, their Minister Plenipotentiary to His Most Christian Majesty, who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, agreed upon what follows. ARTICLE I. The consuls and vice consuls, nominated by His Most Christian Majesty and the United States, shall be bound to present their commissions on their arrival in their respective States, according to the form which shall be there established. There shall be delivered to them without any charges the _Exequatur_ necessary for the exercise of their functions; and, on the exhibition they shall make of the said Exequatur, the governors, commanders, heads of justice, public bodies, tribunals, and other officers, having authority in the ports and places of their consulates, shall cause them to enjoy, as soon as possible, and without difficulty, the pre-eminences, authority, and privileges, reciprocally granted, without exacting from said consuls and vice consuls, any duty under any pretext whatever. ARTICLE II. The respective consuls shall have power to establish vice consuls in the different ports and places of their departments, where necessity shall require. There shall be delivered to them likewise the Exequatur necessary to the exercise of their functions, in the form pointed out in the preceding article, and on the exhibition, which they shall make of the said Exequatur, they shall be admitted and acknowledged in the terms and according to the powers, authority, and privileges, stipulated by the 1st, 4th and 5th articles of the present convention. ARTICLE III.